A former communist against the right-wing trend in Germany

2024-01-07 17:25:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

A former communist against the right-wing trend in Germany

Dr. Sahra Wagenknecht

Sahra Wagenknecht in her youth was a communist, a worldview that lasted even later when the GDR dictatorship in divided Germany was history. The Jena-born politician, Thuringji, later became a leading figure in the Left party, often at odds with her own party over the right course. In October 2023, she decided to leave the party and create a new party. This decision is a symbol of the crisis of the entire left-wing political spectrum in Germany, which is in political decline. In this downward trend is not only the opposition party E Majta, but also the Social Democratic Party, the SPD and the Greens. Both parties see themselves as left-leaning, and have formed a coalition since 2021 with the free market-oriented Free Democrats FDP (German Liberal Party), FDP.

A former communist against the right-wing trend in Germany

CDU/CSU as strong as the Left, SPD and Greens combined

In the first survey published this year, Germany's trend by ARD, the Left, SPD and Green parties together reach 31%. Only the Christian Democratic and Christian Social Union achieves this much. And then comes the party, AfD, which according to the assessment of the Constitutional Protection is partially right-wing extremist, this party reaches 22% of the values ??in the polls. The decline of left-wing parties, according to political scientist Werner Patzelt, has a decisive cause: they care too little about poor ordinary people, who feel threatened by the lack of housing space and have no connection to "woke" left-wing ideas, he points out. Patzelt for DW.

Why "ordinary people" vote AfD

The notion "woke" comes from English and means to have a vigilant awareness of social justice and racism. These topics, according to party expert Werner Patzelt, are mostly taken up by academic and cultured leftists. And as long as nothing changes here, the left has no reason to be surprised "that ordinary people empty their hopes on the right".

A former communist against the right-wing trend in Germany

AfD achieves high popularity values ??especially with hostile tones against migration. Skeptical and cautionary language about migration, but not outright rejection, is also found in the founding manifesto of Sahra Wagenknecht's new party. "The price for intensified competition for affordable housing, low-wage jobs and failed integration is not paid primarily by those on the sunny side of life." To the expert Patzelt, such sentences remind the connection between the extreme left and right, in a common lateral front.

Migration as a controversial topic and political turn

"In social policy, the well-known left-wing policy is aimed at ordinary people, and in migration policy, a policy is required, which is expected from the ultra-right," the political scientist analyzes the political spectrum, in which Wagenknecht's new party will move. "Alenca Sahra Wagenknecht for Reason and Justice" brings a new impulse, but whether it will last long is not known. Wagenknecht has criticized as "very problematic" the open policy of welcoming refugees in 2015 by Chancellor Merkel. Not because, we don't want them to have a better life, but "because our country is just overloaded".

A former communist against the right-wing trend in Germany

Even the SPD and the Greens have meanwhile taken a turn regarding migration policy and want to limit irregular migration to Germany. At the same time there are cuts in economic and social policy. "Reality is forcing these parties," says political scientist Werner Patzelt. Austerity is not a "matter of the heart" for left-wing parties.

The shadow of globalization

The political situation before the elections for the European Parliament 2024 and the elections in three federal states in September remains difficult for the three more or less left-wing parties. The Left Party demands without compromise a policy of open borders. For this policy, the main candidate of the left for the European elections, Carola Rackete, climate activist, known as the open sea rescuer of refugees, will appear. But in the polls her appointment does not bring many points, at the federal level the Left continues to remain below 5%. Even the weakened SPD and the Greens, Patzelt recommends looking at the Scandinavian countries, where the Social Democrats have long followed a restrictive migration policy.

From Patzelt's perspective, the new party represents well the essential content of left-wing politics. "So to be there for ordinary people who, among other things, are endangered by globalization and the migration that goes hand in hand with globalization endangers their world." In the new Sahra Wagenknecht party, this attitude is formulated as follows. "Immigration and the coexistence of different cultures can be enriching. But this applies as long as the flow remains limited to a certain extent, and does not overload the country and our infrastructure, and as long as integration is actively supported and succeeds. "/ DW